OMA Partner Ellen van Loon on openess in architecture and women in the profession

OMA Partner Ellen van Loon and architect Bart Nicolaas were the project leads on the Rijnstraat 8 government building which opened last November in The Hague. Photo: Nick Guttrige.

Yet it is Ms. van Loon’s innate sense of openness that allows her to think freely, particularly as a woman in a male-dominated profession. She said she had seen an improvement in the number of women in the profession, along with the increasingly important roles they play, and their influence on the design of buildings.

[...] “Now at OMA, we’re 50/50 men and women, though let’s hope there are a few more female partners in the future."
— The New York Times

The New York Times introduces OMA's only female partner, Dutch architect Ellen van Loon, who recounts her first fascination for Rem Koolhaas and looks at some of her recent high-profile projects, such as the new Qatar National Library, Rijnstraat 8 in The Hague, and the recently completed 'Blox' museum/office/gym/restaurant/residential complex in Copenhagen.